The Lead: Led by sophomore Quinn Madden (Mokena, Ill.), who canned a team-high 11 points for the Lions, the Emerson women's basketball team were unable to overcome a slow start and were topped by the Smith Pioneers, 65-50, in NEWMAC action on Saturday afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Lauren Bondi led all scorers in the game with 14 points, adding four rebounds and four steals.

Paige Marquez had a strong performance for the Pinoeers, scoring 10 points with three rebounds and three assists.

Madden led the Lions with 11 points, five rebounds, one block, one steal, and one assist.

Charlie Boyle was a strong performer on the defenive end, swatting three shots, grabbing four total rebounds to go along with six points.

Rachel Davey had a strong performance off the bench, scoring nine points and adding one assist and one steal.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions started the game in a shooting slump, falling behind 13-0 and ending the first period down 22-4.

Midway through the second quarter, the Lions saw themselves down 22 points after two three pointers by Stephanie Foukaris.

The Lions went into halftime trailing 38-16.

In the second half, the Lions continued to fight but were unable to claw back into the lead.

The Lions ended the game on a 12-2 run, showing their resiliency but the final score saw the Pioneers going home with a victory of 65-50.

UP NEXT

Emerson steps out of NEWMAC play for a pair of games, starting with Connecticut College on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.

Smith kicks off its three game conference road trip with a contest at Coast Guard on Wednesday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m.